The merits of Evangelion have been discussed at length among the Evangelion fandom over the years, and typically revolve around its perceived emotional depth, complex characters, great action sequences, links to philosophical and psychological theory, open-ended nature, and heavy contrast to other anime series.

But what about the flaws in Evangelion? What don't you like about Evangelion and why? What are the aspects you frown upon and would like to see removed or done better? Evangelion is not perfect, so I think we can give a reasoned critique of what its flaws are.

Here's my take on this:

1. The religious imagery would be better replaced by a set of images created specifically for the world of Evangelion. This reduces the potential for people to become confused over their meaning, gives less ammunition for critics to say that Evangelion is pretentious (especially when the creators come out and say they included religious imagery just to look cool), and increases the focus on the the psychological aspects of Evangelion.

2. Reduce the amount of fan-service, for reasons already explained in another thread.

3. Get rid of Pen-Pen, because I found it to be more irritating than funny and also because it contributes insignificantly to the main themes of the show.

J_Faulkner wrote:1. The religious imagery would be better replaced by a set of images created specifically for the world of Evangelion. This reduces the potential for people to become confused over their meaning, gives less ammunition for critics to say that Evangelion is pretentious (especially when the creators come out and say they included religious imagery just to look cool), and increases the focus on the the psychological aspects of Evangelion.

2. Reduce the amount of fan-service, for reasons already explained in another thread.

3. Get rid of Pen-Pen, because I found it to be more irritating than funny and also because it contributes insignificantly to the main themes of the show.

This is why you're dead to me. I wouldn't change a damned thing about Eva.

"Chaos is merely a human construct. The world only knows its own natural law of harmony and order.""So you are saying it's the human heart that throws the world into confusion."

J_Faulkner wrote:1. The religious imagery would be better replaced by a set of images created specifically for the world of Evangelion. This reduces the potential for people to become confused over their meaning, gives less ammunition for critics to say that Evangelion is pretentious (especially when the creators come out and say they included religious imagery just to look cool), and increases the focus on the the psychological aspects of Evangelion.

2. Reduce the amount of fan-service, for reasons already explained in another thread.

3. Get rid of Pen-Pen, because I found it to be more irritating than funny and also because it contributes insignificantly to the main themes of the show.

This is why you're dead to me. I wouldn't change a damned thing about Eva.

I wouldn't change anything about EVA itself, but I could do without the slash fanfiction and hentai...

- Do not get rid of Pen-Pen, but give him his backstory from the manga and do not show him doing too much over-the-top stuff like reading newspapers in a reclining chair. Or do it with a less LOL ANIME MASCOT COMEDY feeling;

- The Jet Alone episode (the merits of which I can now appreciate) could have been executed better, with less of a fillery feeling, I guess;

- Replace some of the blah animation from, say, episode 6 with its polished D&R version;

- Give Rei some ON-SCREEN character development between eps.07-23;

- Take out most of the clumsy A/S retconning Prof. Tines mentioned;

- Let Asuka shine on her own the first time she appears;

- A bit more chara development on Kaworu please; let him meet Misato and/or other characters ON-SCREEN;

- Was that scene in the hospital room in EoE really necessary?

- Let Osamu Dezaki direct episode 24 just to see what would come out;

*is bricked*

This said, since Anno is now working on Rebuild, I don't really feel the need to rereretcon Evangelion: the series + EoE again. Except maybe for switching those clumsy frames from ep.6 with their D&R version... yeah.

"People need more stfu in their diets." (NemZ)"It was brainf@rt at first sight." [LiLi on Romance, II]

- Replace some of the blah animation from, say, episode 6 with its polished D&R version;

I really don't get why "Rei smile" from D&R was not used to replace original animation for DC versions of eps. A lot of other animation got replaced...

ran1: Oh gosh this sentence gave me an internet boner. You're so tsundere.Mugwump: Goddamn it, Xard! Take me in your arms, you magnificent sex god bastard! And don't forget to wear the Ran mask.Eva Yojimbo: You really are the Otaku equivalent of a Catholic and Jew rolled up into one giant dakimakura of guilt.Gob Hobblin: Sanctimonious, subtly racist, vaguely misogynist, somehow says something while at the same time saying...nothing, really, at all....

- It's fine for him to fail or be held back by bakalite/mom, but Shinji should make a noticeable effort to get to the damned hanger at least starting from the moment he is aware that Asuka is out there fighting.

- Ditch the A/S shipping slapped into the DC episodes

- Go back to the TV transhumanist version of instrumentality, and perhaps a bit beyond into this wild new frontier of radical freedom.

- Bring Kaworu in earlier and tone down the obvious weirdness so that his being an angel is an actual surprise rather than just the last of the monster-of-the-week brigade.

- Less angels overall, but make most of them multi-episode affairs. Nearly every angel should be a genuine threat and capable of learning/adapting to the situation as it unfolds, not just a pileup of one-trick-ponies.

- Crank way back on the silliness factor of the action arc. It's absolutely possible to have a calm-before-the-storm section without resorting to all this slapstick.

- Rei needs more screentime after Asuka's arrival, and not just with Shinji.

- Kill Toji. If he's just going to be written out anyway, why not?

- Give Kensuke something to do in the plot besides just geeking out... but don't let him pilot and sure as hell don't ship him with anyone important.

Rest In Peace ~ 1978 - 2017"I'd consider myself a realist, alright? but in philosophical terms I'm what's called a pessimist. It means I'm bad at parties." - Rust Cohle"Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize that half of 'em are stupider than that." - George Carlin"The internet: It's like a training camp for never amounting to anything." - Oglaf"I think internet message boards and the like are dangerous." - Anno

inb4 yet another "EOTV IS NOT FUCKING TRANSHUMANIST GIGGLESHIZZLE YES IT IS NO IT'S NOT" fight erupting (it's not and there's no reason to think so )

Uriel Septim VII wrote:No monologues that deal with psychological and ontological subjects. Either do something while having a casual conversation about the subjects or just throw a damn book at Shinji.

uhh, they were done like they were for a reason

- It's fine for him to fail or be held back by bakalite/mom, but Shinji should make a noticeable effort to get to the damned hanger at least starting from the moment he is aware that Asuka is out there fighting.

nothing to gain from this.

ran1: Oh gosh this sentence gave me an internet boner. You're so tsundere.Mugwump: Goddamn it, Xard! Take me in your arms, you magnificent sex god bastard! And don't forget to wear the Ran mask.Eva Yojimbo: You really are the Otaku equivalent of a Catholic and Jew rolled up into one giant dakimakura of guilt.Gob Hobblin: Sanctimonious, subtly racist, vaguely misogynist, somehow says something while at the same time saying...nothing, really, at all....

A/S... Retcon? Wha? How can it possibly be a retcon? The Wall of Jericho moment (complete with very obviously intentional giving of a view down nightshirt), the "Hey Shinji, wanna kiss?"... All that was in the original airing. What the heck is there to retcon?

System Administrator, Thread Surgeon General, Default Complaint Receptacle"NGE is like a perfectly improvised jazz piece. It builds on a standard and then plays off it from there, and its developments may occasionally recall what it's done before as a way of keeping the whole concatenated." -- Eva Yojimbo"To me watching anime is not just for killing time or entertainment, it is a life style, and a healthy one too." -- symbv"That sounds like the kind of science that makes absolutely 0 sense when you stop and think about it... I LOVE IT." -- Rosenakahara

Monk Ed wrote:A/S... Retcon? Wha? How can it possibly be a retcon? The Wall of Jericho moment (complete with very obviously intentional giving of a view down nightshirt), the "Hey Shinji, wanna kiss?"... All that was in the original airing. What the heck is there to retcon?

Asuka clearly wants Shinji to like her, but without the added DC content there is no indication she actually cared about him as more than a teammate/rival and convenient Kaji-stand-in for personal practice.

This isn't the place to get into arguments over this stuff though.

Rest In Peace ~ 1978 - 2017"I'd consider myself a realist, alright? but in philosophical terms I'm what's called a pessimist. It means I'm bad at parties." - Rust Cohle"Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize that half of 'em are stupider than that." - George Carlin"The internet: It's like a training camp for never amounting to anything." - Oglaf"I think internet message boards and the like are dangerous." - Anno